It's A Love Potion, Baby Just Say Yes
by TiaTodd
Summary: Valentine's Day one-shot. First in an unconnected V-Day one-shot trilogy. Please enjoy!


**Happy Valentine's Day! Unless you're single, like me, and detest Valentine's Day with all your soul. Anyways, I decided not to dampen anyone's spirits, so I have written three Valentine's Day one-shots to share with everyone who loves Harry Potter, Inkheart, and a show I will not name here so as to protect my reputation as a writer. Please enjoy!**

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"…and don't you ladies even try slipping Fred and I any of that stuff, we're immune."

George shut the storage room door, grinning at the unanimous "oh" of disappointment. "Fred, we're running out of Love Potions. Again."

"Again?" Fred's exasperated voice called out from behind a box of Ton-Tongue Toffees, which he then dropped on top of another. "Velda and the others aren't working fast enough, then. Will you take care of it? They seem to like you better."

George rolled his eyes and opened the half-sized door in the back of the room. "Maybe that's because you constantly insult their work."

Fred glared back in the direction of the small door, then back at the door to the shop. He tried a few smiles until he got one just devilishly handsome enough, picked up a box of fake wands, and strolled out to the less-occupied shelves, telling Verity to refill the wand section and leaving the box in her care.

He then proceeded to the nearest shelf of Sour Sugar Quills and leaned his back against it, peeking around the shelf to a perfect view of a huddle of girls fighting over the last few Love Potions. He chuckled to himself, but his attention was quickly pulled in the opposite direction, when he first heard a loud crack, and then a crash.

"Ow…" a familiar female voice cried weakly. Fred could hardly contain his laughter (the same with a few girls by the Love Potions) as Hermione Granger, pinned to the shop floor under a pile of disrupted Skiving Snackboxes, picked a Puking Pastille out of her bushy brown hair.

Fred walked over to her, kicking the Snackboxes aside, and extended a hand out to her. "I hope you're prepared to pay for that."

Her hand was just inside his when she tugged it back, slamming it against the wall and clutching it with a yelp of pain. She scrambled to her feet. "Do you think this is funny?"

"Er…yeah? I mean, it _is_ a lot of merchandise ruined but it was worth—"

"NO! I'm talking about that Love Potion you gave me."

Fred cocked his head and racked his brain, thinking of all the girls he'd sent Love Potions to that morning so as to mess with them a bit. George came up beside him, waved his wand, and sent the Snackboxes and their candies back to the shelves. "What's going on over…oh, hello, Hermione!"

"Good day," she shot back coldly, staring at Fred with her arms crossed. "Well?"

"Hermione, I didn't give you a Love Potion…"

"Oh, shut up, you did so!"

George, looking rather uncomfortable, muttered a hasty "goodbye" to Hermione and occupied himself with a blonde witch having trouble with a predominantly pesky Pigmy Puff.

Fred, brow wrinkled in confusion, crossed his arms and tried to mock-match Hermione's stance. "Hermione, I did not give you a Love Potion. Will you kindly tell me why you think I did so?"

"First thing this morning I find a box of chocolates at the end of my bed, addressed to me from you and George. I eat one and the next thing I know I fall back asleep to dreams of you…er…hugging…me."

"Hugging you. Right," Fred said sarcastically, a mischievous smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Because no one hugs unless they're in love."

Hermione's eyes shot proverbial daggers at the Weasley. "Well, obviously it was a bit more than _hugging_. Don't get excited, we were both fully clothed. _But_ then I found myself thinking about you through my next two classes and…you're laughing!"

Her indignant words were true; Fred was laughing still when he tried to talk. "Hermione…you're in love with me."

But something went wrong when he said these words. His stomach gave a jolt, and then it felt like someone had hit him with a half-ass _Rictusempra_ charm. He shuddered to shake it off.

"Well, yes, because of your stupid Love Potion!" Hermione said adamantly. "And I don't want you to do it again. It's taking away from my studying time."

Fred shook his head. "I didn't give you a Love Potion. You just woke up and realized that you're in love with me!" There was that odd tickling feeling again.

"You…you…didn't? But—you…and…the chocolates…"

"Hermione, we don't have an adequate supply as it is," Fred explained, motioning towards four girls wrestling over a vial of whitish-silvery-pink liquid. "WHOEVER BRAKES IT BUYS IT!" he called, before turning back to Hermione. "Our House Elves are working hard as ever—oops…"

He winced as if expecting the witch to smack him, remembering her bizarre attachment to House Elves, but she just stood there with her arms still crossed, opening and closing her mouth. "I still don't believe you."

"Well…kiss me then!" Fred said, biting back laughter as he felt like a Spell-Checker Quill tickled his insides.

Hermione's eyes widened. "_Pardon?_ What did you just…huh?"

"Trust me here. If it _is _a Love Potion, which it isn't…" Fred paused and looked around at his customers, dropping his voice to a whisper and leaning closer to her. "You see, these potions aren't perfect. After the first kiss, they become considerably less potent. You'll be able to tell."

"Oh, that's rubbish! This is all part of your plan!"

"Is it? And tell me, Granger, what exactly I would be accomplishing by tricking you into kissing me," Fred said, raising an eyebrow and leaning against the shop wall. "Or, if you can't do that, yet you still insist I'm trying to trick you, you can wait until tomorrow morning. Love Potions only last 24 hours." He winced at his words, peering over at the gaggle of witches now hassling George for the fresh batch of potions he was carrying. One witch was looking at Fred, crestfallen, as she put back a potion.

"Well I can't wait until tomorrow! If I wait, I'll just sit through the rest of my classes thinking about you and this conversation—"

Fred inclined his head towards Hermione, an excited grin on his face. "Did you cut school to visit me?"

"Er…" Hermione shifted from one foot to the other. "Well, I may have snuck into the Shrieking Shack during lunch so I could Apparate. But…that's even more reason that your ridiculous potion idea…"

"Still clinging to that notion. Look, Hermione, you've got to believe me," Fred insisted desperately, reaching out and gripping her shoulders. Her breathing hitched. "_I did not give you a Love Potion_."

Hermione didn't try to fight back this time, but stared at Fred with wide eyes, looking very confused and somewhat scared. She leaned closer to him, and he slackened his grip. "Well…I guess…since I can't take your word for it…I'll just have to…"

They came slowly closer, until the instant their lips touched. As soon as this happened, Hermione wrapped her arms around Fred and pulled him close. His hands, at her waist, inched around her back and wrapped around her as far as they would go. There was no space between them, until Hermione pulled away, breathless, fingers gingerly touching her lips. Fred's arms dropped to his sides.

She looked first down at her feet, then up at Fred for a split second, then anywhere but at Fred. In doing so she noticed a few girls nudging each other, pointing, and whispering. A few looked a bit angry.

"S-so what's your conclusion, then?" Fred said, trying to sound as carefree as usual. Hermione picked up a bit of shakiness in his voice. "Love Potion? Or are you just hopelessly in love with me?"

"I…er…" She rubbed her arm nervously, not able to look the wizard in the eyes.

"Ugh…I'm not sure that was the best idea," said Fred, a hand at his stomach. "I think I'm starting to feel sick. If your stomach starts feeling like someone shot a tickling charm at it, you've caught whatever I got."

Now Hermione was blushing profusely, her lips trying to smile but then falling back into a shocked/horrified look.

"What? What's…why are you looking at me like that?"

"Fred Weasley," Hermione said, sounding much like a person giving an award as she planted her hands on her hips. "Fred Weasley, you are in love with me."

He gave a confused sort of half-chuckle before saying, "I, er, think we established that _you_ were the one falling for _me_. Or did you miss that when you were thinking about me in Binns's class?"

The shop, Hermione now realized, had gotten considerably quieter, and there were a great deal of shushing hisses. Then, she did something no one expected in that instant. She started giggling uncontrollably.

"Fred, you're not ill! That's how you feel when you…" Her laughing subsided. "That's how…how you feel when you love someone."

"What? No, that's…no, I've been in love before and I've _never_ felt _that_." He shook his head, chuckling nervously as he turned around and straightened the Snackboxes on the shelf.

"Deny it all you want. All I'm going to say is…" Fred turned around to look at Hermione again. "I love you, too."

About to say "I told you so", Fred pointed his finger towards Hermione, who was examining her watch. Before any words could escape his lips however, they were touching hers again.

"Sorry, Fred, I have to go or else I'll be late for Slughorn's class. Bye!" She turned and Disapparated.

Fred's eyes stayed glued to the spot as he tried to make out what had just happened. Once he found his voice, all he could muster was, "Bloody hell…"

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters (which unfortunately includes Fred).**


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